


The Eternity Cure

by Smix



Series: Blood of Eden [2]
Category: Julien Kang - Fandom, Red Velvet (K-pop Band), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Character Turned Into Vampire, Human Kim Namjoon | RM, Human/Vampire Relationship, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Vampire Bae Joohyun | Irene, Vampire Bites, Vampire Jeon Jungkook, Vampire Kang Seulgi, Vampire Sex, Vampire Son Seungwan | Wendy, Vampires, vampire pregnancy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-17 23:08:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28857120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Smix/pseuds/Smix
Summary: He has done the unthinkable: died so that he might continue to live. Cast out of Eden and separated from the boy he dared to love, Jungkook will follow the call of blood to save his creator, Seulgi, from the psychotic vampire Julien. But when the trail leads to Jungkook's birthplace in New Covington, what Jungkook finds there will change the world forever—and possibly end human and vampire existence.There's a new plague on the rise, a strain of the Red Lung virus that wiped out most of humanity generations ago - and this strain is deadly to humans and vampires alike. The only hope for a cure lies in the secrets Seulgi carries - if Jungkook can get to him in time.Jungkook thought that immortality was forever. But now, with eternity itself hanging in the balance, the lines between human and monster will blur even further, and Jungkook must face another choice he could never have imagined having to make.
Relationships: Jeon Jungkook/Kim Namjoon | RM, Kang Seulgi/Kang Julien
Series: Blood of Eden [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1918456
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	1. Character Starter Packs

**Author's Note:**

> WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA NEW BOOK IN THE SERIESSSSSSS AHHHHHH
> 
> If you haven't already, please read "The Immortal Rules", please do so or else you will be extremely confused!!!
> 
> I hope you enjoy!!!

*More Characters Will Be Added as the Story Introduces New Characters*

**Jungkook:**

**Namjoon:**

**Seulgi:**

**Irene:**

**Julien:**

****

**Wendy:**

**JOY:**

****


	2. 1

I smelled blood as soon as I walked into the room.  
  
A blast of snow-laced air accompanied me, swirling around my black coat, clinging to my hair and clothes as I shoved back the door. Space beyond was small and dirty, with rotting tables scattered about the floor and steel drums set at every corner, thick smoke pouring from the mouths to hover near the roof. An ancient ceiling fan, half its blades broken or missing, spun limply, doing little to disperse the choking air.  
  
Every eye in the room turned as I stepped through the frame and, once settled on me, didn't glance away. Hard, dangerous, broken faces watched intently as I passed their tables, like feral dogs scenting blood. I ignored them, moving steadily across the creaky floorboards, feeling nails and chips of glass under my boots. I didn't need to take a breath to know the air reeked of sweat and alcohol and human filth.  
  
And blood. The scent of it clung to the walls and floors, soaked into the rotting tables, smeared in dark stains across the wood. It flowed through the veins of every human here, hot and heady. I heard several heartbeats quicken as I made my way to the counter, felt the eager stirrings of lust and hunger, but also the hint of fear, unease. Some of them, at least, were sober enough to guess the truth.  
  
The man behind the counter was a grizzled giant with a snarl of scar tissue across his throat. It crept up his neck and twisted the left corner of his lip into a permanent scowl. He eyed me without expression as I took a seat on one of the moldy bar stools, resting my arms on the badly dinged counter. His gaze flicked to the hilt of the sword strapped to my back, and one of his eyelids twitched.  
  
"I'm afraid I don't have the type of drink you're looking for," he said in a low voice, as his hands slid under the bar. When they came up again, I knew they wouldn't be empty. Shotgun, probably, I guessed. Or maybe a baseball bat. "Not on tap, anyway."  
  
I smiled without looking up. "You know what I am."  
  
"Wasn't difficult. A pretty guy walking into a place like this either has a death wish or is already dead." He snorted, shooting a dark look at the patrons behind us. I could feel their hooded gazes even now. "I know what you want, and I'm not about to stop you. No one here will miss these idiots. You take what you have to, but don't trash my bar, understand?"  
  
"Actually, I'm just looking for someone," I said, knowing I didn't have a lot of time. The dogs at my back were already stirring. "Someone like me. Tall. Face scarred all to hell." I finally looked up, meeting his impassive gaze. "Anyone like that come through here?"  
  
A muscle worked in his jaw. Beneath his grimy shirt, his heartbeat picked up, and a sheen of sweat appeared on his brow. For a moment, he seemed torn about whether he should pull out the gun or whatever he had beneath the counter. I kept my expression neutral, unthreatening, my hands on the bar between us.  
  
"You've seen him," I prodded carefully. He shook himself, then turned that blank stare on me.  
  
"No." The reply seemed dragged from somewhere deep within. "I didn't see him. But..." He glanced at the men behind me as if judging how much time we had, before shaking his head. "About a month ago, a stranger came through. No one saw him enter, and no one saw him leave. But we found what he left behind."  
  
"Left behind?"  
  
"Rickson and his boys. In their home. From one end of it to the other. They said the bodies were so scattered they never found all the pieces."  
  
I bit the inside of my lip. "Did anyone see who did it?"  
  
"Rickson's woman. She lived. At least, until she blew her brains out three days later. But she said the killer was a tall, pale man with a face scarred like the devil himself."  
  
"Anyone with him?"  
  
The barkeep frowned then shook his head. "No, she said he was alone. But he carried a large black bag with him, like a body bag. That's all we could get out of her, anyway. She wasn't terribly coherent if you know what I mean."  
  
I nodded, drawing back, though the words body bag sent a chill through my stomach. I'm getting closer, though. "Thank you," I murmured, sliding off the stool. "I'll be going now."  
  
That's when I felt the arm on my shoulder.  
  
"Oh, you're not leaving yet, little boy," murmured a voice in my ear, hot and rancid. A large hand reached down and gripped my wrist, hard enough to bruise, if I could still bruise. "It's too cold outside. Come over here and keep us warm."  
  
A smile tugged at one corner of my mouth. Finally. Took you long enough.  
  
I looked at the barkeep. He met my gaze, then very deliberately turned and walked toward the back room. The man next to me didn't seem to notice; his arm slid down my back and curled around my waist, trying to drag me away. I didn't budge an inch, and he frowned, too drunk to realize what was happening.  
  
I waited until the barkeep vanished through the door, letting it swing shut behind him before I turned to my assailant.  
  
He leered at me, the stench of alcohol coming off him in waves. "That's right, little boy. You want some of this, doncha?" Behind us, a few more patrons were starting to get up; either they wanted in on the fun, or they thought they could take me out together. The rest watched behind their tankards, tense and wary, smelling of fear.  
  
"Come on then, bitch," the man beside me said and grabbed my other arm, his face mean and eager. "Let's do this. I can go all night."  
  
I smiled. "Can you now?" I said quietly, and lunged at him with a roar, sinking my fangs into his throat.  
  
When the barkeep returned, I was already gone. He would find the bodies - the ones stupid enough to stay and fight - lying where they had fallen, a couple in pieces, but most of them still alive. I had what I'd come for. The Hunger had been sated, and better here, in this outpost full of bandits and murderers than anywhere else. Better these kinds of men than an innocent family or an old couple huddled together in the ruins of an isolated cabin, trying to keep warm. I was a monster who killed and preyed on human life; I could never escape that, but at least I could choose what kind of lives I took.  
  
Outside, the snow was falling again. Thick flakes clung to my eyelashes and cheeks and stuck to my straight black hair, but I didn't feel them. The bitter chill couldn't touch someone already dead.  
  
I gave my katana a flick, causing a line of crimson to spatter to the ground. Sliding it into the sheath on my back, I started walking, my boots crunching over frozen mud. Around me, the wood and tin shanties were silent, dark smoke leaking from windows and chimney stacks. No one was out tonight; the humans were all inside, huddled around steel drums and bottles, keeping fire and alcohol between them and the icy cold. No one would see the lone teenage boy in the black coat, walking down the path between shanties. Just like the town's other visitor, I'd come, taken what I needed, and vanished back into the night. Leaving carnage behind me.  
  
About a hundred yards away, a wall of corrugated steel and wire rose into the air, dark and bristling. It was uneven in places, with gaps and holes that had been patched and repatched and finally forgotten about. A flimsy barrier against the creatures that lurked outside the wall. If things continued here with no change, this little outpost would eventually vanish off the face of the earth.  
  
Not my problem.  
  
I leaped to the roof of a shanty leaning against the wall, then over the wall itself, landing lightly on the other side. Straightening, I gazed down the rocky slope to the road that had led me here, now invisible beneath the snow. Even my footsteps, coming in from the east, had vanished beneath the layer of white.  
  
She was here, I thought as the wind whipped my face, tugging at my hair and coat. It's been almost 9 months ago. I'm getting closer. I'm closing the gap, slowly but surely.  
  
Dropping from the cliff, I fell the twenty feet, coat flapping behind me, and landed at the edge of the road, grunting as my body absorbed the shock. Stepping onto the rough, uneven pavement, feeling it crumble under my boots, I walked to where the road split, weaving off in two directions. One path curved away, circling the tiny outpost before heading south; the other continued east, toward the soon-to-be-rising sun.  
  
I gazed down one direction, then the other, waiting. And just like at the last crossroads I'd hit, it was there again. That faint pull, telling me to continue northeast. It was more than a hunch, more than a gut instinct. Though I couldn't explain it completely, I knew which direction would lead me to my sire. Blood calls to blood. The killings I'd found on my travels, like the unfortunate family in the settlement behind me, only confirmed it. She was traveling fast, but I was catching up, slowly but surely. She couldn't hide from me forever.  
  
I'm still coming, Seulgi.  
  
Dawn was a couple of hours away. I could cover a lot of ground before then, so I started once more, heading down the road toward an unknown destination. Chasing a shadow. Knowing we were running out of time.  
  
I walked through the night, the wind icy in my face, unable to numb my already cold skin. The road stretched on, silent and empty. Nothing moved in the darkness. I passed the tangled remains of old neighborhoods, streets vacant and overgrown, buildings crumbling under the weight of the snow and time. Since the plague that wiped out most of humanity and the rabid outbreak soon after, most cities had been reduced to empty husks.  
  
I'd found a few settlements scattered here and there, humans living free despite the constant threat of rabids or invasion from their own kind. But the majority of the population existed in the vampire cities, the great, walled-in territories where the coven provided food and "safety" in exchange for blood and freedom. The humans in the vampire cities were nothing more than cattle, really, but that was the price of vampire protection. Or, that's what they wanted you to believe. Monsters existed on both sides of the wall, but at least the rabids were honest about wanting to eat you. In a vampire city, you were really just living on borrowed time, until the killers who smiled and patted you on the head finally showed their true colors.  
  
I should know. I was born there.  
  
The road stretched on, and I followed as it snaked through white forests grown up around sprawling towns and suburbs until the sky turned charcoal-gray and sluggishness began to drag me under. Heading off the road, I found a faded ranch house choked with weeds and brambles. They grew up through the porch and coiled around the roof, smothering the walls, but the house itself seemed fairly intact. I eased my way up the steps and kicked open the door, ducking inside.  
  
Small furry creatures scurried into the shadows, and a cloud of snow rose from my entry, swirling across the floor. I spared a glance at the simple furniture, covered in dust and cobwebs, strangely undisturbed.  
  
On the wall closest to me sat an old yellow sofa, one side chewed by rodents, spilling dirty fluff over the floor. Memory stirred, a scene of another time, another house like this one, empty and abandoned.  
  
For just a moment, I saw him there, slumped against the cushions with his elbows on his knees, hair glimmering in the darkness. I remembered the warmth of his hands on my skin, those beautiful eyes as they gazed at me, trying to figure me out, the tightness in my chest when I'd had to turn away, to leave him behind.  
  
Frowning, I collapsed to the sofa myself and ran a hand over my eyes, dissolving the memory and the last of the frost clinging to my lashes. I couldn't think of him now. He was in Eden with the others. He was safe. Seulgi was not.  
  
I leaned back, resting my head on the back of the couch. Seulgi. My sire, the vampire who'd Turned me, who'd saved my life and taught me everything I knew - she was the one I had to focus on now.  
  
Just thinking of my maker caused a frown to crease my forehead. I owed the vampire my life, and it was a debt I was determined to repay, though I could never understand her. Seulgi had been a mystery from the very start, from that fateful night in the rain when I'd been attacked by rabids outside my city's walls. I'd been dying, and a stranger had appeared out of nowhere, offering to save me, presenting me with the choice. Die... or become a monster.  
  
Obviously, I'd chosen to live. But even after I'd made my decision, Seulgi hadn't left. She'd stayed, teaching me what it meant to be a vampire, making sure I knew exactly what I had chosen. I probably wouldn't have survived those first few weeks without her.  
  
But Seulgi had secrets of her own, and one night the darkest of them caught up to us in the form of Julien, a twisted vampire with a vendetta. Dangerous, cunning, and completely out of his mind, Julien had tracked us to the hidden lab we were using as a hideout, and we were forced to flee. In the chaos that had followed, Seulgi and I were separated, and my mentor had vanished back into the unknown from where she'd come. I hadn't seen her since.  
  
But then the dreams began.  
  
I rose, the cushions squeaking beneath me, and wandered down a musty hallway to the room at the end. It had been a bedroom at one point, and the twin bed in the corner was far enough away from the window to be out of the sun if it came creeping into the room.  
  
Just to be safe, I hung a ratty blanket over the sill, covering the pane and plunging the room into shadow. Outside, it was still snowing, tiny flakes drifting from a dark, cloudy sky, but I wasn't taking any chances should it clear up. Lying back on the bed, keeping my sword close, I stared at the ceiling and waited for sleep to claim me.  
  
Vampires don't dream. Technically, we are dead, our sleep that of a corpse, black and depthless. My "dreams" were of Seulgi in trouble. Seeing through her eyes and feeling what she felt. Because in times of extreme duress, pain or emotion, blood called to blood, and I could sense what my sire was feeling. Agony. Julien had found her. And was taking his revenge.  
  
My eyes narrowed as I recalled the very last one.  
  
 _My throat is raw from screaming._ _He didn't hold back last night. He was toying with me before, just showing me the edge of his deranged cruelty. But last night, the true demon came out. He wanted to talk, tried to get me to talk, but I wasn't going to oblige him. So he made me scream instead.  
  
At one point, I looked down at my body, hanging like a piece of flayed meat from the ceiling, and wondered how I was still alive. I've never wanted to die so badly as I did then. Surely he would not be as bad as this. It was a testament to Julien's skill, or perhaps insanity, that he kept me alive when I was doing my best to die._  
  
 _Tonight, though, he is oddly passive. I woke, as I had countless nights before, hanging by my wrists from the ceiling, mentally preparing myself for the agony that would come later. The Hunger is a living thing, devouring me, a torment all in itself. Lately, I see blood everywhere, trickling from the ceiling, oozing past the door. Salvation always beyond reach. My hair was a mess around my face. It was so long now; my roots started coming in white from the torture and stress._  
  
 _"It's no use."_  
  
 _His voice is a whisper, slithering out of the darkness. Julien stands a few feet away, watching me blankly, his pale face a web of scars. Last night, his eyes glowed feverishly bright as he screamed and railed into me, demanding I talk, answer his question. Tonight, the dead, empty look on his face chills me like nothing else._  
  
 _"It's no use," he whispers again, shaking his head. "You're right here, right at my fingertips, and yet I feel nothing." He slides forward, touching my neck with long, bony fingers, his gaze searching. I don't have the strength to jerk away. "Your scream, such a glorious song. I imagined how it would sound for years. Your blood, your flesh, your bones, your pussy - I imagined it all. Breaking them. Tasting them." He runs a finger around my clit.  
  
"You were mine to break, to peel apart, so I could see the rotted soul that lies beneath this shell of meat and blood. It was to be a magnificent requiem." He steps back, his expression one of near despair. "But I see nothing. And I feel...nothing. Why?" Whirling away, he stalks to the nearby table, where dozens of sharp instruments glint in the darkness. "Am I doing something wrong?" he murmurs, tracing them with a fingertip. "Is she not to pay for what she has done?"_  
  
 _I close my eyes. 'What she has done'. Julien deserves to hate me. What I did to him, what I was responsible for - I deserve every torment he heaps on my head. But it won't make things right. It won't put an end to what I caused. Because I know he still loves me. And deep down inside, I still love him. Even though I drove him insane, I didn't want to leave him. Every time I wake up from the torturous night before, I always find myself clean. My wounds may not be healed completely, but I see that Julien cleans me every night. He's even cut my hair since it grew out so long since I've been here.  
  
And recently, for an odd reason, his torture has been making me vomit. But even then, he cleans it up from my face and the floor beneath me. There's still a piece of sanity that comes out of the darkness when I'm asleep. I wish all of my mistakes away so that we could live like a normal couple once more... _  
  
_Julien turns back and the gleam in his eyes has returned. It burns with searing intensity, showing the madness and brilliance behind it, and for the first time, I feel a stirring fear through the numbing agony and pain._  
  
 _"No," he whispers slowly, in a daze, as if everything has suddenly become clear. "No, I see now. I see what I must do. It is not you that is the source of the corruption. You were merely the harbinger. This whole world is pulsing with rot and decay and filth. But, we will fix it, Sweetheart. Yes, we will fix it. Together."_  
  
 _His hand skims the top of the table to the very end, picking up the item on the corner. It isn't bright like the others - shiny metal polished to a gleaming edge. It is long, wooden, and comes to a crude, whittled point at the end._  
  
 _I shiver, every instinct telling me to back away, to put distance between myself and that sharp wooden point. But I can't move, and Julien approaches slowly, the stake held before him like a cross. He is smiling again, a demonic grin that stretches his entire ravaged face and makes his fangs gleam._  
  
 _"I can't kill you, yet," he says, touching my chest with the very tip of the stake, right over my heart. "No, not yet. That would spoil the ending, and I have a glorious song in mind. Oh, yes, it will be magnificent. And you... you will be the instrument on which I compose this symphony."  
  
He steps forward and pushes the tip of the stake into my chest, slowly, twisting it as it sinks beneath my skin. I throw back my head, clenching my jaw to keep the scream contained, as Julien continues. "No, Honey. Death is still too good for you. We're just going to send you to sleep for a while." The stake continues to slide into my flesh, parting muscle and scraping against my breastbone, creeping closer to my heart. The wood becomes a bright strip of fire, searing me from the inside. My body convulses and starts to shut down. Darkness hovers at the edge of my vision - hibernation pulling me under, the last effort at self-preservation. Julien smiles._  
  
 _"Sleep now, My Love," he whispers, his scarred face fading rapidly as my vision goes dark. "But not for long. I have something special planned." He chuckles, the empty sound following me down into blackness. "You won't want to miss it."_  
  
The vision had ended there. And I hadn't had any more dreams since.  
  
I shifted on the bed, bringing the sword close to my chest, thinking. I'd tracked Julien to one place he had been: a rotted-out ruin of a house in an empty suburb, a long flight of steps leading down to the basement. The scent of Seulgi's blood had hit me like a hammer as soon as I'd opened the door. It had been everywhere - on the walls, on the chains that hung from the ceiling, on the instruments spread over the table.  
  
A dark stain had marred the floor right below the metal links, making my stomach turn. It didn't seem possible that Seulgi had survived, that anything could have survived that macabre dungeon. But I had to believe that she was still alive, that Julien wasn't finished with her just yet. I had even seen dried up white spots everywhere, assuming it was dried up cum from... Julien's fun... The thought made me want to vomit and murder him for hurting her.  
  
My hunch had been confirmed when, as I'd explored further, I'd discovered the stiff, decaying bodies of several humans tossed casually in a closet upstairs. They had been drained of blood, their throats cut open instead of bitten, a stained pitcher sitting on a table nearby. Julien had been feeding Seulgi, letting her heal a bit between sessions. Closing the door on the pile of corpses, I'd felt a deep stab of sympathy and fear for my mentor. Seulgi had made mistakes, but no one deserved that. I had to rescue her from Julien's sick insanity before he drove my sire completely over the edge.  
  
Gray light was beginning to filter through the holes in the blanket over the window, and I grew ever more sluggish in response. Hang in there, Seulgi, I thought. I'll find you, I swear. I'm catching up.  
  
Although, if I was honest with myself, the thought of facing Julien again, seeing that blank, empty smile, the fevered intensity of his gaze, terrified me more than I cared to admit. I remembered his face through Seulgi's eyes, and though I hadn't noticed it in the dream, I'd later recalled the film across his left eye, pale and cloudy. He'd been blinded there, and recently. I knew because the pocketknife that had been jammed into his pupil the last time I saw him... was mine.  
  
And I knew he hadn't forgotten me, either.  
  
  
(CHAPTER END)


	3. 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *BTW In the last chapter, I went back and changed up the month time span because I mistyped haha! So, for people who are confused, here's a quick rundown on the time:
> 
> Month 0: Jungkook and Seulgi get separated  
> Month 1: Jungkook meets Namjoon  
> Month 4: Jungkook leaves Eden
> 
> Now is Month late 8 early 9 of Jungkook being separated from Seulgi. Hope this helps!
> 
> Lots of Love,  
> Smix

Four or five months ago, I walked away from Eden.  
  
Or, more accurately, I was forced out. Much like Adam and Eve getting kicked out of their infamous garden, I had reached Eden with a small group of pilgrims only to be turned away at the gates. Eden was a city under human rule, the only one of its kind, a walled-in paradise with no monsters or demons to prey on its unsuspecting citizens. And I was the monster they feared most. I had no place there.  
  
Not that I would've stayed, regardless. I had a promise to keep. I had to find someone, help her before her time ran out.  
  
So, I'd left Eden and the company of the humans I'd protected all the way there. The group I'd left was smaller than the group I'd first joined; the journey had been hard and dangerous, and we'd lost several along the way. But I was glad for the ones who'd made it. They were safe now. They no longer had to worry about starvation or cold, being chased by raiders or stalked by vampires. They no longer had to fear the rabids, the vicious, mindless creatures that roamed the land after dark, killing anything they came across. No, the humans who'd made it to Eden had found their sanctuary. I was happy for them. Though, there was... one... I regretted leaving behind.   
  
The sky was clear the following night, spotted with stars, a frozen half-moon lighting the way. The wind and the crunch of my boots in the snow were the only sounds keeping me company. As always, while walking alone through this quiet, empty landscape, my mind drifted to places I wished it wouldn't.  
  
I thought of my old life, my human one, when I was simply Jungkook the street rat, Jungkook the Fringer, scraping out a meager existence with my old crew, facing starvation and exposure and a million other deaths, just to declare that we were "free." Until the night we'd tempted fate a bit more than usual and had paid for it with our lives.  
  
New Covington. That was the name of the vampire city where I was born, grew up, and ultimately died. In my seventeen years, I hadn't known anything else. I'd known nothing of the world beyond the Outer Wall that kept out the rabids, or of the Inner City, where the vampires lived in their dark, gleaming towers, looking down on all of us. My whole existence had consisted of the Fringe, the outer ring of New Covington where the human cattle were kept, herded in by fences, and branded with tattoos.   
  
The rules were simple: if you were branded - Registered to the masters - you were fed and somewhat taken care of, but the catch was, you were owned. Property. And that meant you had to donate blood on a regular basis. If you were Unregistered, you were left to fend for yourself in a city with no food and no supplies except the ones the masters allotted; but at least the vamps couldn't take your blood unless they caught you themselves.  
  
Of course, you still had to worry about starving to death.  
  
Back when I was human, I'd struggled with hunger every day. My life had revolved around finding food and little else. There had been four of us in my small gang -me, Laon, Jeonghoon, and Hobi. We had all been Unregistered; street rats, beggars, and thieves living together in an abandoned school and barely scraping by. Until one stormy night when we'd ventured beyond the Outer Wall to find food... and became the hunted ourselves. It had been stupid to step outside the protection of New Covington, but I'd insisted, and my stubbornness had cost us everything. Laon and Jeonghoon had been killed, and I'd been pulled down and torn apart by a pack of rabids. My life should've ended that night in the rain.  
  
In a way, I guess it had. I'd died that night in Seulgi's arms. And now that I was a monster, I could never go back to the life I'd known. I'd tried, once, to contact a friend from my old life, the boy named Hobi whom I'd looked after for years. But Hobi, seeing what I'd become, had screamed and fled from me in terror, confirming what Seulgi had always told me. There was no going back. Not to New Covington, not to my old life, not to anything that was human. Seulgi had been right all along. She was always right.  
  
I thought of her often, of the nights we'd spent in the secret lab beneath the vampire city where I was born. Her lessons, teaching me what it meant to be a vampire, how to hunt and fight and kill. The humans I'd preyed on, their screams, the warm blood in my mouth, intoxicating and terrible. And Seulgi himself, the beautiful woman who'd taught me, in no uncertain terms, what I was - a vampire and a demon - but also that my path was my own; that I had a choice.  
  
 _You are a monster_. Her voice was always so clear in my head, as if she was standing right next to me, her dark eyes boring into my skull. _Yo_ _u will always be a monster - there is no turning back from it. But what kind of monster you become is entirely up to you._ That was the lesson I clung to most, the one I swore I'd never forget.  
  
But Seulgi had another rule as well, one I hadn't remembered so clearly as the first. The one about humans, and becoming attached...  
  
And just like that, my traitor mind shifted to a lean figure with jagged brown hair and solemn brown eyes. I remembered his smile, that lopsided grin meant only for me. I remembered his touch, the heat that radiated from him when we were close. His fingers sliding over my skin, the warmth of his lips on mine...  
  
I shook my head. Kim Namjoon was human. I was a vampire. No matter what I felt, no matter how strong my feelings, I could never separate the urge to kiss Namjoon from the desire to sink my fangs into his throat. That was another reason I'd left Eden without saying goodbye, without letting anyone know where I was going. I couldn't be near Namjoon without putting his life in danger. Eventually, I would kill him.  
  
It was better to be alone. Vampires were predators; the Hunger was always with us, the craving for human blood that could take over at any time. Lose yourself to the Hunger and the people around you died. It had been a hard lesson for me to learn, and one that I did not ever want to repeat. It was always there - that fear that I would slip, that the Hunger would take over again and when I came back to myself I would have killed someone I knew.   
  
Even the men I preyed on - bandits, raiders, marauders, murderers - they were all still human. They were living beings, and I killed them to feed myself. To keep me from attacking others. I could choose what kind of people I preyed on, but in the end, I had to prey on someone. The lesser of the two evils was still evil. Namjoon was too good to be dragged down by that darkness.  
  
Deliberately, I forced my thoughts away from Namjoon before they grew too painful. To keep myself distracted, I concentrated on the pull, the strange tug that I still didn't understand, even now. Awake, I barely felt it; only in sleep could I sense Seulgi's thoughts, see through her eyes. Or, at least, I could before that last vision, when Julien had driven a wooden stake into Seulgi's chest, sending her into hibernation months ago.  
  
I couldn't feel Seulgi's experiences anymore. But when I concentrated, I did know which direction would lead me to my sire. I did that now, emptying my mind of all other thoughts, and searched for Seulgi.  
  
The pull was still there, a faint pulse to the east, but... something was wrong. Not dangerous or threatening, but there was an odd sensation in my gut, that nagging feeling you get when you know you've forgotten something and you just can't remember what. Dawn was still hours away; I wasn't in danger of being caught outside in the light. There was nothing I could have left behind except my sword, and that was strapped firmly across my back. Why, then, did I feel so uneasy?  
  
A few minutes later, it hit me.  
  
The pull I was following, that strange but unerring sense of knowing, was slowly splitting off, moving in different directions. I stopped in the middle of the road, wondering if I was mistaken. I wasn't. There was still a strong pull to the east, but also a fainter one, now, to the north.  
  
I frowned. Two directions. What could it mean? And where was I supposed to go, now? The feeling to the east was stronger; I just barely felt the compulsion to the north, but it was definitely there. Impossible as it seemed, I had come to a crossroad. And I had no idea where to go.  
  
Did Seulgi free herself, somehow? Is she fleeing north, and I'm tracking Julien down alone? It doesn't seem likely that Julien would be the one to run. Upon reflection, my frown deepened, the sense of worry and unease growing stronger. Is it Julien? Would I even feel anything from him? We're not blood kin, we're not related in any way that I know of. What's going on here?  
  
Utterly bewildered, I stood in the center of the road trying to decide what to do, which direction to follow. I was still new to this vampire-blood-tie thing and had no idea why there would be two pulls instead of one. Had Julien fed on Seulgi, perhaps? Was it possible that Julien was related to me and my sire in some distant past, centuries ago?  
  
It was a mystery, and one I had no way to solve. In the end, I continued east. Indecision and doubt still nagged at me as the other sense of knowing continued to pull away, but I couldn't be in two places at once; I had to pick a direction and keep going. So I chose the stronger of the two urges, and if it led me right to a pissed-off, psychotic vampire eager to peel the skin from my bones, then I would just have to deal with that bump when I got there.  
  
When I woke the next evening, the second pull had shifted completely to the west. I ignored it and my doubts and continued eastward. For two more nights, I walked through unending forests and rotted towns, my only company the road and the occasional flash of wildlife in the darkness. Deer were abundant out here, as were raccoons, opossums and the odd mountain lion stalking its prey through the trees and broken houses. They didn't bother me, except to give me the evil eye, and I left them alone, as well. I wasn't Hungry, and animal blood, as I'd learned the hard way, did nothing to satisfy the monster within.  
  
The snow and heavy woodlands continued, the road I traveled strangled on either side with vegetation that split the pavement and pushed its way up through the cracks. Eventually, though, the road widened, and dead cars began to appear, rusty hulks of metal beneath the snow, growing more numerous as I traveled. I was approaching a city, and my instincts prickled a warning. Most empty towns and suburbs were just that, broken and deserted, with crumbling houses lining silent, overgrown streets. But the cities, once a place of thousands of humans living side by side, were overrun with a different species now.  
  
The road widened even more, becoming a highway, stubbornly pushing back the choking forest. More vehicles appeared, turning the road into a maze of rusted metal and glass, though only on the side of the highway leaving the city. I kept to the other, empty lane, passing the endless stream of dead, smashed cars, trying not to look inside, though sometimes it was impossible not to see. A skeleton lay against the steering wheel of a crumpled car, half-buried in the snow that drifted through the broken windshield. Another dangled beneath a charred, overturned truck. Thousands of people, trying to leave the city all at once. Had they been fleeing the plague, or the madness that came soon after?  
  
The road wound through the sprawling city streets, piled high with snow and coated with a thick layer of ice. I left the car-choked main road and entered the empty side streets, finding it easier to navigate the smaller paths.  
  
After crossing a windy bridge over a sullen gray river, I stumbled upon a huge marble building, relatively clear of vegetation and strangely undisturbed. Curious, and because it was in the same direction of the pull I'd been following, I headed toward it then made my way along the outer wall. Half the roof had fallen in, and a couple of the enormous pillars surrounding it were crushed and broken. An entire corner had crumbled away, and rubble was strewn across the floor. I ducked inside, gazing around cautiously.  
  
The room, for its enormous size, was quite empty. Nothing lived here, it seemed, except the single owl that swooped out from the high, vaulted ceiling when I came in. Marble pillars lined the room, and I could make out words carved into the walls on both sides, though they were too cracked and eroded to read.  
  
Against the back wall, looming up to an impossible height, was a statue. An enormous statue of a man sitting on a marble chair, his wrists resting against the arms. One of his hands was missing, and there were many small cracks in his stony features, but he was surprisingly undamaged. The marble chair had been streaked with paint, scrawled with ugly words that continued up the wall, and one corner of the statue was blackened as if burned.   
  
But the man in the chair was still noble looking despite the damage. His great, craggy face peered down, looking right at me, and it was eerie, standing there beneath the stone gaze of a giant. As I backed toward the exit, the hollow eyes appeared to follow me out. Still, I thought it was a kind face, one that didn't belong in this time. I wondered who he had been, to be immortalized in such a way. There were so many things about the time Before that I didn't know; huge statues and marble buildings that seemed to serve no purpose. All very strange.  
  
Outside, I paused to get my bearings. Straight ahead, a rectangle of cracked cement stretched away from the bottom of the steps. Leaves and branches were frozen beneath a layer of ice filling the shallow pool, and the rusty hulk of a car lay on its side at the edge.  
  
And then, I saw the strangest sight yet. Beyond the steps, directly in front of me, a huge white tower rose into the night. It was ridiculously thin and pointed, a pale needle scraping the clouds, looking as if a strong breeze could blow it over.  
  
And that faint pull was drawing me right toward it. I hurried down the steps and skirted the edges of the pool, my boots squelching in mud, weeds, and slush. Past the cement, the land dissolved into swampy marshland filled with brush, reeds, and puddles of icy water. As I drew closer and the tower loomed overhead, I realized that the tug, the pull I'd been tracking for months, was stronger than it had ever been. Though it wasn't coming from the tower itself; rather, from another large white building, barely visible over a canopy of trees beyond.  
  
Resolved that my prey was so close, I stalked forward, pushing through weeds and brush. And stopped.  
  
Several hundred yards from the tower, past a crumbling street lined with rusty cars and across another swampy lawn, a bristling fence rose out of the ground to scar the horizon. About twelve feet tall, made of black iron bars topped with coils of barbed wire, it was a familiar sight. I'd seen many walls in my travels across the country - concrete and wood, steel and stone. They were everywhere, surrounding every settlement, from tiny farms to entire cities. They all had one purpose, and that purpose was right in front of me, preventing any further advances tonight.  
  
A huge swarm of spindly, emaciated creatures crowded the fence line, hissing and snarling, baring jagged fangs. They moved with a jerky, spastic gait, sometimes on all fours, hunched over and unnatural. Their clothes - the few that had them anyway - were in tatters, their hair tangled and matted. Chalky skin was stretched tightly over bones, and the eyes in the gaunt, bony faces reflected the soullessness behind them. A blank, dead wall of white.  
  
Rabids. I growled softly and eased back into the shadow of a tree. They hadn't seen me yet. As I huddled behind the trunk, watching the shambling horde, I noticed a weird thing. The rabids didn't rush the fence or try to scramble over it, though they could have easily clawed their way to the top if they tried. Instead, they skulked around the edge, always a few feet away, never touching the iron bars.  
  
Even more curious now, I peered past the rabid horde through the fence and clenched my fists so hard the nails dug into my palms. Looming above the gates, beyond the iron barrier, a squat white building crouched in the weeds. The entrance to the place was circular, lined with columns, and I could make out flickering lights through the windows.  
  
And I knew.  
  
She's in there. If I had a heartbeat, it would be thudding loudly now. I was so close. But who would it be? Who would I run into, once I finally caught up? Would I meet my sire, and would she be surprised to see me? Would she be angry that I'd tracked her down? Or would I run into a dangerous, terrifyingly insane vampire all too eager to torture me to death?  
  
Guess I'll find out soon enough.  
  
The breeze shifted, and the awful, dead stench of the rabids hit me full force, making me wrinkle my nose. They weren't going to let me saunter up and knock on what was probably the local Vampire Master's door. And I couldn't fight the whole huge swarm. A few of the savage creatures I could deal with, but taking on this many ventured very close to suicide. Once was enough, thanks. I'd dealt with a massive horde like this one outside the gates of Eden, and survived only because there had been a large lake nearby, and rabids were afraid of deep water. Vampire or not, even I could be dragged under and torn apart by sheer numbers.  
  
Frowning, I pondered my plan of attack. I needed to get past the rabids without being seen. The fence was only twelve feet tall; maybe I could vault over it? One of the rabids snarled and shoved another that had jostled it, sending it stumbling toward the fence. Hissing, the other rabid put out a hand to catch itself, grabbing on to the iron bars.  
  
There was a blinding flash and an explosion of sparks, and the rabid shrieked, convulsing on the metal. Its body jerked and spasmed, sending the other rabids skittering back. Finally, the smoke pouring off its blackened skin erupted into flame and consumed the monster from the inside.  
  
Okay, definitely not touching the fence.  
  
I growled. Dawn wasn't far, and soon I would have to fall back to find shelter from the sun. Which meant abandoning any plans to get past the gate until tomorrow night. I was so close! It irked me that I was mere yards from my target and the only thing keeping me from my goal was a rabid horde and a length of electrified metal.  
  
Wait. Dawn was approaching. Which meant that the rabids would have to sleep soon. They couldn't face the light any better than a vampire; they would have to burrow into the ground to escape the burning rays of the sun.  
  
Under normal circumstances, I would, as well. But these weren't normal circumstances. And I wasn't your average vampire. Seulgi had taught me better than that.  
  
To keep up the appearance of being human, I'd trained myself to stay awake when the sun rose. Even though it was very, very difficult and something that went against all my vampire instincts, I could remain awake and active if I had to. For a little while, at least. But the rabids were slaves to instinct and wouldn't even try to resist. They would vanish into the earth, and with the threat of rabids gone, the power that ran through the fence would probably be shut off. There'd be no need to keep it running in the daytime, especially with fuel or whatever powered the fence in short supply. If I could stay awake long enough, the rabids would disappear and the fence would be shut off. And I'd have a clear shot to the house and whoever was inside it. I just had to deal with the sun.  
  
It might not be wise, continuing my quest in the daylight. I would be slow, my reactions muted. But if Julien was in that house, he would be slow, too. He might even be asleep, not expecting Seulgi's vengeful offspring to come looking for him here. I could get the jump on him... if I could stay awake.  
  
I scanned the grounds, marking where the shadows were thickest, where the trees grew close together. Smartly, the area surrounding the fence was clear of brush and trees. Indirect sunlight wouldn't harm us, but it was still unpleasant, even in the shade, knowing that if the light shifted or a gust of wind tossed the branches, you'd be in a great deal of pain.  
  
As the sky lightened and the sun grew close to breaking the horizon, the horde began to disappear. Breaking away from the fence, they skulked off to bury themselves in the soft mud, their pale bodies vanishing beneath water and earth. The grounds surrounding the fence emptied swiftly until there wasn't a rabid to be seen.  
  
I leaned against the trunk of a thick oak, fighting the urge to follow the vicious creatures beneath the earth. It was still madly difficult to remain conscious as the sun rose into the sky. My thoughts felt sluggish, my body heavy and tired. But my training to remain above ground, even when our greatest enemy poked its head above the trees, paid off, and I was still standing when the last stubborn rabid disappeared beneath the earth.   
  
Still, I waited until the sun had nearly risen above the trees, to allow time for the fence to be shut off. It would be hilariously tragic if I avoided the rabids, avoided the sun, only to be fried to a crisp on a damn electric fence because I was too impatient. About twenty or so minutes after the horde disappeared, the faint hum coming from the metal barrier finally clicked off. The fence was down.  
  
Now came the most dangerous part.  
  
I pulled my coat over my head and tugged down the sleeves so they covered my hands. Direct sunlight on my skin would cause it to blacken, rupture, and eventually burst into flame, but I could buy myself time if it was covered.  
  
Still, I was not looking forward to this.  
  
All my vampire instincts were screaming at me to stop when I stepped out from under the branches, feeling the weak rays of dawn beating down on me. Not daring to look up, I hurried across the grounds, moving from tree to tree and darting into the shade whenever I could. The stretch closest to the fence was the most dangerous, with no trees, no cover, nothing but short grass and the sun heating the back of my coat. I clenched my teeth, hunched my shoulders, and kept moving.  
  
As I approached the black iron barrier, I scooped up a scrap of metal and hurled it out in front of me. It arced through the air and struck the bars with a faint clatter before dropping to the ground. No sparks, no flash of light, no smoke. I didn't know much about electric fences, but I took that as a good sign.  
  
Let's hope that fence really is off.  
  
I leaped toward the top, feeling a brief stab of fear as my fingers curled around the bars. Thankfully, they remained cold and dead beneath my hands, and I scrambled over the fence in half a second and landed on the other side in a crouch.  
  
In the brief moment, it took me to leap over the iron barrier, my coat slipped off my head. My relief at being inside the fence without cooking myself was short-lived as blinding pain seared my face and hands. I gasped, frantically tugging my coat back up while scrambling under the nearest tree. Crouching down, I examined my hands and winced. They were red and aching from just a few seconds in the sunlight.  
  
I've got to get inside.  
  
Keeping close to the ground, I hurried across the tangled, snowy lawn, feeling horribly exposed as I drew closer to the building. If someone pushed aside those heavy curtains in front of the huge windows, they would most definitely spot me. But the windows and grounds remained dark and empty as I reached the curving wall and darted beneath an archway, relieved to be out of the light.  
  
Okay. Now what?  
  
The faint tug, that subtle hint of knowing, was stronger than ever as I crept up the stairs and peeked through a curtained window. The strange, circular room beyond was surprisingly intact. A table stood in the center with several chairs around it, all thankfully deserted. Beyond that room was an empty hallway, and even more rooms beyond that.  
  
I stifled a groan. Finding one comatose vampire in such a huge house was going to be a challenge. But I couldn't give up.  
  
The glass on the windows was shockingly unbroken, and the window itself was unlocked. I slid through the frame and dropped silently onto the hardwood floor, glancing warily about. Humans lived here, I realized, a lot of them. I could smell them in the air, the lingering scent of warm bodies and blood. I wondered why the scent didn't knock me down the second I came into the room. If Julien was here, he'd likely paint the walls in their blood.  
  
But I didn't run into any humans, alive or dead, as I made my way through the gigantic house, and that worried me. Especially since it was obvious this place was well taken care of. Nothing appeared broken. The walls and floor were clean and uncluttered, the furniture, though old, was sturdy and carefully arranged. The Master who lived here either had a lot of servants to keep this place up and running, or he was incredibly dedicated to cleaning.  
  
I continued to scan the shadows and the dozens of empty rooms, wary and alert, searching for movement. But the house remained dark and lifeless as I crept up a long flight of steps, down an equally long corridor, and stopped outside the thick wooden door at the end.  
  
This is it.  
  
Carefully, I grasped my sword and eased it out, being sure the metal didn't scrape against the sheath. Getting here had been way too easy. Whoever was on the other side of that door knew I was coming. If Julien was expecting me, I'd be ready, too. If Seulgi was in there, I wasn't leaving until I got her out safely. Of course, I'd hug her tightly first.  
  
Firmly grasping the door handle, I wrenched it to the side and flung the door open. A figure stood at the back wall, waiting, as I'd feared. She wore a black outfit, and her arms, crossed lazily over her chest, were empty of weapons. Thick, dark hair tumbled to ers shoulders, and a pale, beautiful face met mine over the room, lips curled into an evil smile.  
  
"Hello, brother!" Irene greeted, her violet eyes shining in the dim light. "It's about time you showed up."  
  
  
(CHAPTER END)


	4. 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi sorry I've been extremely unmotivated and yeah-
> 
> But Imma force myself to finish this chapter!
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> Lots of Love,  
> Smix

"Irene," I whispered, as the lean vampire sauntered toward me. I remembered when I'd seen her last, the self-declared Princess of a flooded raider city, its residents as dangerous and ruthless as herself. She had gone through a lot of trouble to capture the humans I'd traveled with, three years of searching the roads, of having her men comb the countryside. And once Irene had found them, she hadn't been above sacrificing them, one by one, to get what she wanted. Namjoon and I had managed to rescue our group from Irene's demented clutches, but several had died in the process, and the pain of that failure to save them still haunted me.  
  
Why was Irene here now? The last I'd seen her, she had been shoved out of a thirty-story window - after, I remembered quite clearly, she'd jammed a wooden stake into my stomach. I didn't have fond memories of the raider queen, and I knew Irene wasn't terribly happy with me, either.  
  
Then the implication hit me like a brick in the chest, and I stared at her in horror. Seylgu was our sire, having Turned the both of us. The raider queen was my "blood sister," and blood called to blood. No wonder there had been two pulls. If Irene was here, then she was the presence I'd been following. Not Seulgi. Not Julien. I'd chosen to track the wrong lead.  
  
I gripped my sword so hard the hilt bit into my palm, and I would've snarled in frustration had Irene not been twenty feet away. Who knew how far Julien had extended his lead now? Almost a year of searching, of trying to close the gap and find my sire, all for nothing! The psychotic vampire still had her and could be on the other side of the world for all I knew.  
  
And here I was, trapped in this house with my sister, who probably wanted to kill me.

"I've been waiting for you, brother." Irene smiled as she approached, fangs gleaming. "You took your sweet time, didn't you? And after the Princess of Old D.C. told all the guards and house staff to hide in the basement to let you through, just in case you were Hungry, you still had to skulk through the house like a common burglar. Didn't it seem a bit odd, not running into anyone?"  
  
Now I did snarl at her, baring my fangs. "What are you doing here, Irene?"  
  
"Visiting the Princess," Irene said mildly and shrugged. "Waiting for you." She continued to grin at me, smug and dangerous. "Oh, what's the matter? Did you not expect me? Were you hoping to run into someone else?"  
  
"I was, actually," I shot back, and took a step forward, raising my sword. "But I'll take care of you before I go looking for her again. Let's get on with it."  
  
"Let's not," said a high voice, and a new presence entered the room, closing the door behind her. A tallish, statuesque woman gazed down at me with large golden eyes. Full red lips stood out sharply against her dusky skin, and her hair floated around her face like a dark cloud. "If you and Irene are going to fight," she said, "then wait until tonight and do it outside. I'd rather not have you throwing each other around and breaking furniture."  
  
"Joy." Irene smiled, waving a hand at me. "This is my lovely little brother."  
  
"I gathered that," the vampiress said, not returning the smile. To me, she said, "Please put your weapon away. If you are going to remain in my house, you will do so on civil terms. I would hate to have you thrown out to face the sun."  
  
I felt trapped, staring them down. Two vampires, one of whom was still a Princess and probably a Master. I was all too happy to fight Irene again, but I doubted I could take them both. The female had that same calm, cool air of another vampire I knew, another Master, and I could feel the power in that deceitfully slender form.  
  
I sheathed my blade cautiously, still keeping a wary eye on Irene, who looked far too pleased with this whole situation. "What's going on?"  
  
"Joy was apart of our group long ago," Irene said, shooting the vampire woman a look. Nodding, she did not respond. "I thought, since I was passing through, I would pay her a visit. Of course, once I sensed you coming, I thought I'd stick around and wait for you."  
  
"If you're looking for a fight, I'll be glad to give you one."  
  
"Trust me. Nothing would make me happier." Irene bared her fangs in an evil grin, and I tensed, ready to draw my sword again. "I would love to tear the head from your neck and stick it on the wall outside, but I promised Joy I would behave." She jerked his head at the vampire woman, who continued to watch us both with detached amusement. "Besides," Irene continued, "I thought you might be interested to know what I discovered about Seulgi and Julien."  
  
That threw me. I narrowed my eyes, staring her down. "How do you know about that?"  
  
"Oh, come on." Irene crossed her arms. "You're not the only one looking for our dear sire. Seulgi and I need to have a little talk, but that freak Julien is making it difficult. Did you actually come here looking for them?" She shook her head, either in admiration or disgust. "What would you have done if it had been Julien you stumbled onto, and not me? Do you think you're a match for him, little brother? He would have turned you inside out."  
  
"So what are you doing?" I challenged. "Hiding out here, hoping Julien gets bored or tired of tormenting Seulgi? Don't want to take on Julien yourself?"  
  
"Damn straight," Irene returned with a flash of fangs. "I'm not going after that psycho unless I have to. You think I'm bad?" She snorted and shook his head. "You haven't seen anything until you've met crazy Julien. And you sure as hell won't be able to take him on alone. Not even Seulgi wanted to cross paths with him. He'll completely destroy you. I remember him from before and... I never would've expected this..."  
  
I blinked, startled at the underlying fear and sorrow in Irene's voice. Hearing Irene's warning made me even more reluctant to face Julien and more desperate to get Seulgi away from him.  
  
"Listen to your sister," Joy broke in, startling me. "She is correct. We all know Julien and his cruelty, his ruthlessness, his brilliance even through his madness. When I heard that he was in the city, I ordered my humans to not leave the house even during the day, and ran the fence continuously until I was certain he was gone."  
  
Damn. Even the Master vampire, the Princess of this city, was scared of Julien. How strong was he, really? Or was he just an unpredictable nut job that no one wanted around, spouting creepy poetry and making everyone nervous?  
  
Somehow, I doubted it. Julien was cunning and dangerous enough to capture Seulgi, the strongest vampire I knew. True, Psycho Vamp had been after her for a very, very long time, and it was partially my fault that he had found us, but still. If Seulgi had succumbed to Julien's cruel insanity, what would she do to me?  
  
"So, why are you still here?" I demanded, glaring at Irene. "You said you were waiting for me - here I am. What do you want?"  
  
"I have a proposition for you."  
  
Instantly suspicious, I stiffened, and Irene sighed. "Oh, don't give me that look, brother. I'm a reasonable girl." She smiled dangerously. "You invaded my city, set it on fire, killed my men, and destroyed over ten years of careful planning, but that doesn't mean we can't reach an agreement."  
  
"I have nothing to say to you," I growled. "There's nothing you can offer that will keep me here. I'm leaving. If you want a fight, try me again when the sun goes down."  
  
"Well, that's a shame," Irene replied, seeming unconcerned as I turned away. "Because I know what Julien was looking for."  
  
I paused a few feet from the hall. I could feel Irene's smug, knowing grin at my back and, hating myself, turned slowly back around. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"Like I said, Julien came to Old D.C. looking for something. Showed up a few days before I did, then took off again with Seulgi. I didn't follow, because I'm not stupid enough to take him on myself and because I could feel you coming. So I thought I'd wait for you."  
  
"You still haven't answered my question. Or given me any reason to stick around." I narrowed my eyes. "In fact, you have about five seconds to make your case before I walk out that door."  
  
"Oh, trust me. You'll want to hear this." The former raider queen crossed her arms, unconcerned. "You know how the rabids were created, don't you?" she asked. "That it was our dear sire, the noble Seulgi herself, who sacrificed our own kind to seek a cure to the plague, only to have the humans screw everything up when they changed those vampires into rabids?"  
  
"She told me."  
  
"Good. Saves me the time of explaining everything." Irene leaned against a bookcase. "Well, they didn't have just the one lab. The government had a few of them, scattered about the country, all frantically working to end the plague. And one of them is somewhere in this city." She grinned at my startled expression. "Yeah, Seulgi once mentioned there was a hidden lab in the old capital, and when Julien came sniffing around, I figured that's what he was looking for."  
  
"Where is this lab?"  
  
"No idea." Irene shrugged. "Figured I'd talk to Joy, see if she knew anything about it. She thinks that it's underneath the city somewhere, down in the old tunnel systems that run below ground. Problem is, those tunnels are crawling with rabids, making it difficult to search for it. That's when I got the brilliant idea to wait until you showed up. I figured we'd cover more ground if we looked for it together."  
  
It was my turn to snort. "And I'm going to agree to help you... why?"  
  
"Because if you help me find the lab," Irene returned, "I'll help you save Seulgi."  
  
"I don't need your help-"  
  
"Yes, you do." She pushed herself off the bookcase, giving me an intense look. "You don't know Julien. You don't know what he's capable of. You think you're going to storm his lair, take him out and rescue Seulgi, but you're wrong. Julien's a crazy bastard, and he's older and smarter than either of us. You want to stop him, you're going to need my help. We can always kill each other later when we catch up to our sire. But if you want to see Seulgi again, you're going to have to trust me."  
  
"Because you have such a great track record in that department?"  
  
"Oh, come on," Irene said, smiling encouragingly. "Just because I staked you and tossed you out a window? Surely we can get past that little misunderstanding."  
  
"No," I growled, feeling my fangs slip through my gums. "It's not what you did to me. You kidnapped and murdered my friends. You fed one of them to a rabid. You tortured a man to get what you wanted, and you are responsible for his death." I remembered the bloodstained arena, the cage in the center and the rabid pulling its victim down with chilling screams. My lip curled back from my fangs. "I should kill you now for what you did to them."  
  
"Is that so?" Irene regarded me intently. "Then tell me, my dear brother, how many have you killed? How many of my men died when you fled the city with your little 'friends,' hmm? How many throats have you torn out, how many humans have you ripped apart, because you couldn't control your Hunger? Or maybe I'm wrong."

She tilted her head with a fake quizzical expression. "Maybe you're the first of our kind who doesn't need human blood to survive. If that's the case, then please, tell me now so I can apologize and be on my way." She looked at me expectantly with her eyebrows raised. I clenched my fists and glared back, and she nodded.

"Who are you trying to fool? People are food. You know it as well as I do. So don't expect me to feel terribly guilty about killing your humans, not when you reek of blood and death. You're not any less of a monster than I am."  
  
I growled, half tempted to lunge and cut that smirking head from hwe body. Namjoon's father, Gongyu, deserved that much justice. So did Dojin and Jieun and all the others we'd lost because of the raider queen. But Joy took a single step forward, placing herself closer to me and Irene, and I could feel her readiness to jump in if needed.  
  
"Work with me here," Irene went on, her voice low and cajoling. "I'm not asking for much. I just want you to help me find the lab. Then we can go rescue the old man, but I need to find the lab first."  
  
"That could take time," I argued. "Time I don't have. Time Seulgi doesn't have. We have to get to her before-"  
  
"Seulgi is already dead," Irene snapped. "Or as near to it as she can be. Julien forced her into hibernation, and it's rare for us to come out of that. She isn't going to wake up anytime soon. And if Julien wanted her truly destroyed, he would've done it by now."  
  
"Why are you so eager to find this place?"  
  
Irene gave me a look of incredulous contempt. "You really have to ask me that?" She sighed and shook his head. "What have I been after this whole time? What was so important that I searched the country for three years to find that old preacher and his little congregation? What would bring me here, to ask for your help, when I had a whole army of raiders and minions ready to do my bidding? Think hard, brother. It's not that difficult."  
  
I didn't have to think about it. "The cure," I whispered. Irene smirked and nodded.  
  
"Yeah. The cure. The end of Rabidism. That's a little more important than finding Seulgi right now." She held up a hand as I glared. "I still want to find the woman," she told me. "As I said, we need to have a talk. And I'm going to need your help to get her away from Julien. So... you help me, and I'll do the same."

She bared her fangs in a savage grin. "And then, after all, that is out of the way, you can try to kill me, and I'll stick another stake in your gut and leave you for the rabids, what d'ya say?"  
  
"Iree," Joy said, sounding faintly exasperated, "if you wish this guy's cooperation, I suggest you stop taunting him. He is not one of your simple human thugs whom you can cower with a threat. If I am forced to kill him because of your uncharitable attitude, I will be very annoyed with you. Now..."   
  
She turned that dark, intense stare on me. "The sun is up, and I am very tired. If you two wish to continue your verbal sparring, I ask that you wait until evening. For now, I offer my home for as long as you have need of it."  
  
"Um..." I hesitated, not sure what to make of this generosity, if I should trust it. Or her. But she was right. The sun was up, and unless I wanted to venture outside, I would have to take my chances. "Thank you."  
  
Joy blinked slowly. "I would offer you the guest suite across from Irene's, but I fear I might return to a war zone. So I will have William show you to one of the lower suites. We will continue this conversation tonight. And, boy..." Her dark gaze narrowed, turning ominous and threatening. "I can smell the blood on you. Do not eat my staff, or I will forget my hospitality long enough to remove the head from your neck, is that understood?"  
  
I bit down a smirk. Diplomacy was necessary when dealing with Master vampires, and Princesses especially; they did not deal well with sarcasm, I'd discovered. "Yes," I replied simply. "I understand."  
  
Apparently satisfied, Joy turned to the door and raised a hand. One second later, a human in a black-and-white uniform stepped through the frame and bowed to me. "I will show you to your room," he said in a formal voice. "Please, follow me."  
  
I shot Irene one last glare and followed the human, trailing him down several long hallways and flights of stairs, my mind reeling. I had fully expected to find Julien or my sire tonight; that it was Irene threw a wrench in all my plans. I wasn't sure what to do next.  
  
The human made his way unerringly through the massive house until we came to a long hallway of doors. After pointing out the one to my room, the man bowed hurriedly and left, leaving me alone in the corridor. Still wary, I opened the door, revealing a small but lavishly furnished room. The bed, dresser, nightstand, and table were old but meticulously cared for, polished to a dark shine and smelling faintly of chemicals.   
  
A pitcher and glass sat on the nightstand beside the bed, and the scent of warm blood roused my Hunger with a vengeance. I didn't trust Irene at all, but it wouldn't hurt to take advantage of the Princess's hospitality, especially since it came in a cup and not the veins of a human.

I drained the pitcher, feeling the blood settle in my empty stomach and the sharp ache vanish for now. As my Hunger subsided, sleep took its place, dragging at my mind, weighing me down. After locking my door, I dragged the bulky dresser from its place against the wall and shoved it up against the frame. Maybe I was being paranoid, but I was not going to sleep in a strange house with two vampires, one of whom was Irene, without some kind of precaution.  
  
Satisfied that I'd at least have warning if someone came bursting through my door, I crawled atop the cool red sheets, not bothering to take off my coat or boots, and pondered what Irene had said for as long as I could before succumbing to the darkness.  
  


I woke the next evening with my sword in hand, having unsheathed and readied it as sleep finally dragged me under. Unfamiliar walls and furniture stared back at me as I rose, pausing a moment to remember where I was. A glance at the door revealed that it was still locked and barricaded, untouched. The pitcher sat empty on the end table, so no one had disturbed me while I slept - no servant, anyway.  
  
As I sheathed my weapon, the previous night's conversation came back to me, making me frown. Irene was here. My ruthless, murdering blood sister. I should leave. Better yet, I should kill her. We had a clear night sky and an empty lawn perfect for it. She'd kicked my ass the last time we'd fought, nearly killed me, but I was stronger now. If it came down to blows, this time I'd give her a hell of a fight.  
  
But, if she was telling the truth, if the cure to Rabidism lay somewhere beneath our feet, no cost would be too high to find it. Much as I hated to admit it, Irene was right. Charging in blind after Seulgi wouldn't help her; I needed a plan if I was going to face Julien. The help of another strong vampire was too great an opportunity to pass up.  
  
Still, the thought of working with Irene made my blood boil. I hadn't forgotten what she'd done to our group. She was cruel and vicious and saw humans only as food or the means to an end. She killed without a second thought. SHe'd killed people I knew, people I considered friends.  
  
Namjoon would never consider letting him live.  
  
I was still trying to decide what to do when a servant knocked timidly on the door, informing me that Master Joy and Master Irene were waiting for me in the living room and to follow him, please. After returning the dresser to its proper place, I followed the well-dressed human down the many hallways and up a flight of stairs before he paused outside a doorway and motioned me inside.  
  
Joy and Irene were there, of course, Joy sitting on a sofa with her long legs crossed, a wineglass of blood dangling between her fingers. Irene slouched against the fireplace mantel, despite the flames flickering in the hearth, and the light cast her features in an eerie red glow. How she could stand being so close to the flames was baffling; I would never consider tempting fate like that. But then Irene shot me a grin, smug and challenging, and I realized she was playing me. He knew the effect it would have on a vampire and was making sure I knew that she was not afraid.  
  
"Oh, hey, the king finally makes his appearance." Irene raised her glass in a mocking salute before tossing the whole thing back in one swig. Joy gave her a disdainful look and sipped her drink. "So, little brother, are you ready to get this project underway?"  
  
"I still haven't agreed to help you," I said, making Irene sigh with impatience.

"Why is that so surprising? As if I would agree to work with the girl who slaughtered my friends, who will probably stick a knife in my back as soon as I turn around."  
  
"Don't think of it as helping me," Irene said in a reasonable voice. She didn't, I noticed, deny either accusation. "Think of it as helping Seulgi. I, at least, will take any advantage I can get if I'm going to be facing Julien."  
  
I turned to Joy. "What do you think of all this?"  
  
"Me?" Joy raised a thin eyebrow. "I don't care one way or the other. I'm just here to make sure you two don't turn my house inside out."  
  
"Come on," Irene implored. "Let's not have a repeat of last night. You know this is the best way to help Seulgi. And, admit it, you're just as curious as I am."  
  
I glared at her. "Let's say I do agree to this, for now." Her smirk grew wider, and I ignored it. "You said Julien was searching for the lab, as well. Where do you think it could be?"  
  
Joy uncrossed her legs and leaned forward, setting her glass on the low table in front of the couch. "I had my people track down some old maps of the city and its subway systems," she said, smoothing a large sheet of paper over the wood. "They don't tell us exactly where to find a supersecret government lab, but I have a few good guesses."  
  
Irene remained where she was, but I crossed the room to the other side of the table, looking down at the paper on the surface. I'd never seen a map before and had no idea how to read one; it was a tangle of lines and scribbles that merged together into a chaotic mess. But Joy placed one dark red fingernail on a random line, tracing it across the page.  
  
"The rabids," she began in her honey-like voice, "keep to the subway tunnels in the daytime. At night, they emerge to hunt and stalk for prey, but usually return to the underground stations at dawn. Except for those few that cannot seem to leave my fence alone, at least. No one in this city ventures down into the tunnels, for any reason, at any time. It is not known exactly how many rabids are down there, but there are likely thousands of them. And this," she added, circling a place on the map with her finger, "is where we think the main nest is located." Withdrawing her hand, she glanced up at me. "That's where you're going to want to look for the lab."  
  
"Why is that?"  
  
"If this laboratory unleashed the rabid virus, it would have spread quickly. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of people would have been infected around that area. There would be a very high rabid population starting from that point and spreading outward."  
  
"Wait a second." I frowned, thinking back to what Seulgi had told me. "I thought the laboratory in New Covington was responsible for creating the rabids - they escaped, and that's how the rabid plague started."  
  
"Is that what Seulgi said?" Irene snorted. "That's part of the story, but not the whole of it." She pushed herself off the wall and sauntered to an end table, grabbing a pitcher half full of red and refilling her glass. Sitting comfortably in one of the armchairs, she took a large swallow from the glass and smiled at me.  
  
"Have a seat. Let me tell you exactly what happened, so you can fully appreciate the role our sire had in this whole fubar'ed situation." Irene took another long, leisurely sip, waiting for me to sit down. I perched cautiously on the opposite chair.  
  
"You know that Seulgi captured vampires and handed them over to the scientists to experiment on," Irene began, pleased now that she had an audience. It reminded me of er speech in the arena, standing in front of her army, the raiders cheering her name... right before she'd thrown Dojin into the arena with a rabid for their entertainment. I could still hear Dojin's screams as the rabid tore him apart. Rage flared, and I swallowed the growl rising to my throat, trying to concentrate on what the raider queen was saying now.  
  
"It was all in the interest of curing Red Lung," Irene continued, oblivious to my sudden anger, "or that's what Seulgi probably told herself while she was selling out her own kind. She would track down a likely target, stake them to send them into hibernation, then deliver them to the laboratories, where the scientists would do all the happy things scientists do to their hapless subjects."  
  
I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, disturbed to think of Seulgi that way, even though I already knew about it. Or had thought I did, anyway.  
  
"Thing was," Irene continued, putting her boots up on the low, polished table, ignoring the glare from Joy, "New Covington wasn't the only lab searching for a cure. True, they were the ones with the vampire patients, but they also shared their research with the other labs. And something happened here in D.C. to cause a massive rabid outbreak. Hundreds of people Turned within a matter of hours. We know the New Covington lab burned down and all the research was either taken or destroyed, but we don't know anything about the lab below this city. Is it still standing? Does it have the research from decades ago? What's been left behind, I wonder? The cure? Hopefully. But, what about the other things, the research on the plague and the virus and how Rabidism came to be?"   
  
Irene's gaze narrowed, and something in that intense look made my skin crawl. "If any of that research is left behind, who is the very last person we'd want to stumble upon it? Julien is brilliant and crazy and more than a little unstable. Think of all the nasty things he could do if he got his hands on that kind of information."  
  
I shivered and felt the last of my protests dissolve. If Julien was planning something, he had to be stopped. And if there was a cure to Rabidism, we had to find it. For better or worse, it appeared I would be working with my blood sister. For now, at least. I desperately hoped I was making the right choice and that Seulgi would be able to hang on until we could get to her.  
  
"I thought you would see it that way." Irene smiled and rose. "So, now that we're all finally on the same page, shall we get this party started?"  
  
  
(CHAPTER END)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I'm really happy now that I updated haha urhekjfhxjrw Well, hope you enjoyed! Sorry for the wait ^^"


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